by Stacy Jackson

April 10, 2023

Texas Southern Cheer Team Claims First HBCU NCA National Championship Title

These young women left it all on the mat last week.

The Lady Tigers of Texas Southern University claimed the national championship title at the 2023 National Cheerleaders Association Cheer Spirit Rally Division I Championship, the first HBCU team to win the title in the organization’s 75 years of experience.

According to Sports Illustrated, the cheer team declared its victory in Daytona Beach, Florida, last Thursday, scoring a 96.1 in performance and a 95.5875 event score over Niagara University’s 85.2 performance score.

In an Instagram post showing the cheer squad celebrating its win on the mat, the team wrote, “2023 Spirit Rally National Champions 🏆 making history by being the FIRST HBCU with a Spirit Rally National Title. All of our hard work this season has finally paid off !! See you next year Daytona.”

“It’s a wrap ! Daytona 23’. ALL THE HARD WORK, LATE PRACTICE, WE DID IT,” the team wrote in another post along with a video of the squad pointing to their ring fingers a move Angel Reese has made all the rage.

TSU wasn’t the only HBCU to take the mat. The lineup of HBCU cheer teams in the mix included North Carolina A&T, which competed in the Intermediate All-Girl Division 1, and finished second place in the nation.

‘This is the first time our program has ever attended NCA College Nationals,” the team wrote on Instagram, highlighting the 20 athletes who took the Daytona stage for the first time ever.

 

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A post shared by NC A&T Cheerleading (@ncatcheer)

Florida A&M followed in third place in the Intermediate All-Girl Division 1, while Alabama A&M University ranked tenth.

“We are extremely proud of these ladies and want to personally thank everyone for supporting and showing so much love! We will continue to stand up as well as represent 🙌🏽,” Alabama A&M cheerleaders wrote on the team’s Instagram page.


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